These amazing photos are not of real or Computer Generated Image (CGI) horses galloping in the Cebu sea beaches in the Philippines, they are in fact intricately carved sculptures made from driftwood found on the beaches.
The Wooden Horses of Cebu
Each of the three sculptures stands at around 6ft(2m ) tall – or 16 hands as horse lovers might say – and is made from roughly 400 pieces of driftwood of varying sizes built around a skeleton made of stainless steel.
The Master Craftsman who made them is 46-year-old Brit, James Doran-Webb, From Birmingham, England, who has lived in Cebu for 26 years. James who has workshop in Cebu.
Each horse with about 400 pieces, took about two months to make and weighs around half a tonne and can take the weight of five people.
Some of the drift wood they are made of is 50 years old, Doran-Webb said ‘It is an oily wood so it withstands weather and it is very tensile – it’s a dream to work with.’ He added
‘I started off collecting the driftwood myself in my kayak but now I have a network of locals who I pay to collect drift wood for me which helps put money back into poor communities.’
Doran-Webb made all three with moveable limbs and neck so they can be arranged into lifelike poses, as these stunning photographs show.
He has spent six months constructing the trio of horses to celebrate the Chinese New Year in The Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. They will take pride of place in one of the Gardens’ glass domes as part of its Chinese New Year celebrations on January 31, which of course is the Year of The Horse!